Remembering Neil Armstrong a little differently than most

Cross another one off the ol' bucket list.
No, it's not because I did it; it's because it's no longer possible. I've always wanted to meet Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. His recent passing makes that an impossibility. I have met his partner Buzz Aldrin a couple of times. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Aldrin. He understands his place in history and his value not only to the American people, but to the human race.
Armstrong never seemed to understand it. If he did, he chose to ignore it and not accept the responsibility that accompanied his station in life. He was a very private man who shunned fame and the spotlight. He quit signing autographs because other people were profiting off of them. In short, he gave history and the people who made him what he was the short shrift.
Aldrin is very friendly and outgoing. He will sign every scrap of paper thrust at him, shake hands until his arm falls off and will talk ad nauseam about the moon, human spaceflight and the need for man to explore worlds beyond his own. Aldrin is America's ambassador to space. He is everything that Armstrong should have been but wasn't.
Armstrong owed a debt to humanity that he never repaid. Once he made the decision to be the first human being to set foot on the moon he became something greater than himself. A part of him belonged to every person who hoped, prayed, watched and cheered as he achieved the greatest milestone in human history to date. Instead of giving of himself to those in whose name he ventured forth, he became a selfish recluse and denied millions their brush with historic greatness.
Yes, Armstrong was a great hero, adventurer and space pioneer. Yes, he did all the publicity stuff that was expected of him in the years following the first moonwalk. Even in later years he continued to make his services available to the public, but only in terms of technical concerns. The historical Neil Armstrong died long before the man did.
Aldrin, on the other hand, has been the complete opposite. The second man to walk on the moon has been overly gracious with his time and his fame. He is the one who should have made that first step. He is the one with the right stuff to be the historical figure that Armstrong refused to be. Aldrin is no publicity hound. He is not vainglorious in the least. He is a very humble man in his own right. He is confident and outspoken, but he really understands who and what he is.
In hindsight, Armstrong should have been the one to stay in the command module while Mike Collins followed Aldrin onto the moon. Collins is the unsung hero in the Apollo 11 saga. He is the footnote in this chapter of history but was every bit as vital to the mission as the "A" team.
Even though I feel this way about Armstrong at this time, it does not diminish my respect for what he did and the way in which he changed the world. His loss is a great one on many levels. I just hope that the remaining moonwalkers will pick up the mantle that Armstrong declined and make the most of their place in history and to promote our future in space.